BASEBALL: A’s Assistant GM pleased with RockHounds success

Published 3:52 pm, Wednesday, August 6, 2014

A's Asst. General Manager David Forst evaluates the Midland RockHounds players Friday during their game against the San Antonio Missions at Citibank Ballpark. Cindeka Nealy/Reporter-Telegram

A's Asst. General Manager David Forst evaluates the Midland RockHounds players Friday during their game against the San Antonio Missions at Citibank Ballpark. Cindeka Nealy/Reporter-Telegram

Photo: Cindeka Nealy

BASEBALL: A’s Assistant GM pleased with RockHounds success

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The Oakland A’s have traded away first round draft picks before as former Midland RockHounds Grant Green and Michael Choice come to mind right off the bat.

But in June, the club was in discussions about trading arguably the team’s top prospect shortstop Addison Russell. And then in July, Oakland pulled the trigger on one of two big trades the team made this summer.

Athletics assistant general manager David Forst said the trade that sent Russell to the Cubs along with outfield prospect Billy McKinney and former RockHounds pitcher Dan Straily for pitchers Jeff Samardzjia and Jason Hammel was something that produced more discussion in the A’s front office than at any time during his 15 years with the team.

“At no point did anyone say you should make this trade because we have doubts about Addison, that never came into our conversation,” said Forst, who was in Midland on Tuesday and Wednesday for his yearly visit with the RockHounds. “We really had to focus on the big league club and the Cubs made it clear from the beginning they weren’t doing it without Addison.”

That trade in early July set the stage for what was a busy month for the A’s as they worked to fill holes for a run at the World Series. American League West-leading Oakland ended the month by trading for Red Sox starting pitcher Jon Lester.

The Russell trade, though, was the one that had the most effect on the RockHounds this season because Russell was slated to play much of this season in Double-A.

Russell played a few games in April and then a hamstring injury sent him back to Arizona for rehabilitation, and Russell returned in June. But by the end of the first week of July, Russell was packing his bags for Knoxville, Tenn., and the Cubs Double-A affiliate.

“Everyone who is drafted at a level like that you project, you spend time in the instructional league and you watch them grown up in the system,” Forst said. “But I think Addison, with the year he had last year, continuing in the fall, put himself nationally on a little different scale.”

The RockHounds have continued to win games, and that’s something that Forst has been more than happy to see. In fact, every team from Advanced-A to the Major Leagues in Oakland’s organziation is either tied for first place or in first place.

Heading into Wednesday night’s game against Tulsa, the RockHounds were tied for first in the Texas League South Division second half standings with a 27-18 record and have the Texas League’s second-best overall record at 65-50.

“To see the big league team have the best record in the game right now, and Midland, Sacramento and Stockton all in first place, it breeds a good culture,” Forst said. “It is something that’s important to talk about in spring training and through the instructional league. You learn to win early and it continues on in the big leagues.”

Forst added it’s been good to see how the RockHounds have bounced back this season to being a playoff contender. Midland is coming off a month of July where it went 20-10 and most recently won 17 of 27 games it played in 26 days in July.

“This is a special group, they are playing well right now,” Forst said. “This group has really come together, and there are some veteran guys who have turned things around. It’s always nice to put a winning team here because we have a special relationship with the people in Midland. It’s fun to see during the summer when this team is doing well.”